Noah – Walking with God in a Wicked Generation

(Genesis 6–9)

Noah appears at a moment when human behaviour has reached a crisis point. The earth is ‘filled with violence’ (Gen. 6:11), and God announces that judgement must come. Yet in the middle of this darkness, Noah stands out. He ‘found favour in the eyes of the LORD’ (Gen. 6:8).

A Man Who Walked With God

The Bible describes Noah as ‘a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time,’ and as someone who ‘walked faithfully with God’ (Gen. 6:9). In other words, his life was marked by steady obedience arising from intimate fellowship with God. When God commanded him to build an ark, Noah simply did what God said.

As one writer memorably puts it, ‘He built a boat and turned it into a zoo.‘ Whatever we make of this remarkable story, it clearly involved a huge task that must have taken many years. It would have made little sense to those around him and would almost certainly have exposed Noah to ridicule and humiliation. Yet Scripture’s verdict is simple: ‘Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.’ (Gen. 6:22; see also 7:5).

Judgement and Rescue

The flood reveals both God’s judgement on human wickedness and his determination to preserve life. Noah and his family are kept safe in the ark, which becomes a powerful picture of God’s saving work. The New Testament later reflects on this story as an early sign of how God rescues his people, pointing ahead to salvation in Christ (1 Pet. 3:20–21).

When judgement comes on our world, believers are kept safe not by their own goodness, but by being ‘hidden with Christ in God‘ (Col. 3:3).

A New Start and a Lasting Promise

After the flood, Noah’s first response is worship. He offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God (Gen. 8:20). God then makes a covenant, promising never again to destroy all life with a flood (Gen. 9:11–17). The rainbow becomes the sign of this promise.

The story of the flood, and of the renewed world that emerges from it, also points forward. It becomes a prophetic picture of God’s future new creation, when he will make all things new.

Righteous but Not Perfect

Noah stands out as a faithful and obedient man in contrast to his generation. Yet his later failure (Gen. 9:20–27) reminds us that even the most faithful people are flawed. Humanity still needs a deeper and more lasting rescue, one that only God can provide through Jesus.

Noah Points to Jesus

Noah points to Jesus in more than one way. In the flood story, God judges sinners while saving Noah from death. But later in the larger story of the Bible, Jesus is the one who goes ‘under the waves‘ into death itself, so that sinners might be saved. Jesus then rises from the dead to begin God’s new creation.

Lessons for Life

1. Walk with God in any generation.

Noah’s life shows that it is possible to live faithfully even when the culture around us is moving in the opposite direction.

2. Obedience grows through trust.

Noah obeyed before he fully understood. Following God often means taking the next step without seeing the whole path.

3. Faithfulness is usually long-term.

Building the ark took years. Christian maturity also develops through patient, steady obedience over time.

4. Remember God’s mercy.

Noah’s first act after the flood was worship. Gratitude helps keep our hearts humble and dependent on God.

5. Put your hope in God’s promises.

The rainbow points to God’s commitment to mercy. For Christians, the cross is the greater sign that God keeps his promises and offers rescue to all who trust in him.